


Taboo

by linkoftermina



Series: Taboo [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Future, Future Fic, Gen, Original Character(s), Pokemon Journey, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linkoftermina/pseuds/linkoftermina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fast forward about fifty years, and you find yourself in a world where Pokemon battling and capturing has been outlawed. Ten years ago - when this mess first began - battles had transformed into mindless bloodbaths, and nowadays most are content with doing away with the trade completely.</p><p>Of course, there are always people who think the 'Taboo' can change...</p><p>And people who know it will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Pokémon. 

What comes to mind when you hear this word? Fun battles between competing Trainers? Amazing creatures that can change shape and evolve with experience? The challenge to fill the Pokédex, container of all information on Pokémon?

That's the way it was back then. Way back, many years ago, when all Trainers were kind at heart and treated their Pokémon with love, when battles were greatly encouraged.

But that was back before the Taboo.

Pokémon battles had become so popular all those years ago that people lost sight of how dangerous they could be. Maybe that was because most Trainers were good and loved all Pokémon. Maybe because when evildoers came to threaten the Pokémon, there was always a courageous Trainer to stop them.

Somewhere along the line, however, the battles started to become more real and more deadly. Trainers had strengthened their Pokémon so much that the line between knocking out and downright killing was blurred. Battles everywhere turned into bloody fights to the death. Pokémon forgot their own strengths, and the Trainers didn't care anymore - they just wanted to be 'Pokémon Masters' and 'Champions'.

The battles that were once considered 'friendly' came out in a new light. The people's eyes were opened as they watched the horrors that now surrounded battling. The arenas had to be cleaned up daily because of the blood that was spilled during the frequent battles. Pokémon were abused and tortured because they couldn't win, or their Trainers were pushing them too hard. The world of Pokémon was collapsing.

Eventually, battles were stopped. Many Trainers soon realized what battles had become and, rather reluctantly, retired from fighting. Others had to be arrested for continuing to battle and spread more bloodshed. Prisons were now full of energetic young Trainers who just couldn't stop battling - it had become their livelihood, and they couldn't seem to live without it.

It took more than a decade to finally stop the violence. Each region's battle-based economy collapsed now that once-popular Pokémon items like Potions and Pokéballs were rarely needed anymore. Antidotes, Paralyze Heals and Awakenings were confined to hospitals and pharmacies, and hardly ever sold as widely as they once were. Capturing Pokémon was strictly forbidden by law; Pokémon could only be kept as pets or put in certified zoos. Henceforth, Pokéballs weren't needed anymore, and were either thrown away or turned into little souvenir knick-knacks by a few ingenious inventors. 

Pokémon battling and capturing had become a Taboo. It was looked down upon and regarded as disgusting and violent. The police were constantly on the lookout for signs of battling and capturing like a cat waiting for a mouse to come out of it's hole. Now that most people had normal jobs and had forgotten their pasts as Trainers, they had no time to worry about battles anymore - their minds were focused on work or raising their families. The Taboo was now only spoken of by those who were considered the best of the best in their day, the ones who had tried to resist the Taboo and ultimately failed. They cherished the days gone by when they could battle and capture Pokémon, and work towards the goal of being the Champion of the Elite Four or complete the Pokédex, now an outdated piece of crap.

But there were still people who battled secretly. A hidden competition, similar to the Pokémon Gym challenge before, was formed in Kanto. They called it the Arena, where on special nights people met in large groups outside of town and battled to be the top Trainer of that town's competition. The winning Trainer would go on to the next Arena, and then the next in hopes of becoming the best of the best.

The Arena was a direct breaking of the law, for battles were illegal. The Trainers frequently battled to the death in addition - another serious crime. But those who participated made sure that the police didn't know of the Arena. It was hardly spoken of aloud (Trainers who overheard talk of the Arena would brutally attack the speaker to drill into him or her that the Arena _must not be spoken of_ ), and one kept little to no evidence that he or she even knew of the secret challenge.

Some battled in the Arena thinking they could change the Taboo by example, like what teachers taught in school - "if you do something good, others will follow your example." But those were the weaklings who thought they could actually do something. The Taboo took a decade to end battling, and it might just take another decade to bring it back, and one person and one person alone wouldn't be able to stop it.

That's what everyone thought, at least. But that was before Bianca Contra came to town.

* * *

"Bianca Contra and her male Mareep."

The clerk blinked, then glanced down at the teenager before her. "A Mareep? You kiddin' me?"

The girl blinked. "No."

The clerk raised an eyebrow, then sighed, shaking her head as she scribbled the girl's name down. "You gotta lotta guts enterin' wit a Mareep. Either that or you just really stupid."

The woman took a piece of paper with words typed onto it and wrote on it. She then handed it to the girl, informing the girl in her broken speech, "Here you go. Give it to de guy up front ova there, an' he'll letcha in."

The teen nodded and thanked the clerk. As she turned and walked away, she glanced at the slip. 

"Bianca Contra - Mareep" was scribbled quickly on the top. In printed text below it read, _PEWTER CITY POKEMON CONVENTION_. 'Pewter City Pokémon Convention' was just an alias so the police wouldn't find out about the arena.

Bianca paused, taking a deep breath. _My first Arena. Better not lose this one._

The girl walked over to a long line that led to the entrance of the Arena. The sun had set not but a few minutes ago, and the sky was already turning a dark purple colour. _The stars are out_ , Bianca noted, _and there isn't a cloud in the sky. Hope it keeps up so I won't have to run to the hotel in the rain when this ends._

She heard an irritated 'rheeeep' from below her. Bianca glanced down to see her Mareep looking up at her with a disgruntled expression. 

She smiled and picked her Pokémon up. "What is it, Elliot?" 

"Rheeep." 

"Oh, you're angry cos I didn't give you a treat yet, is that it?"

"RHEEP." 

"I thought as much."

Bianca pulled out a piece of candy and tossed it to her Mareep. Elliot caught it in his mouth and chewed it contentedly.

"'Scuse me, but what kind of candy was that?" A deep voice growled behind her.

Bianca turned to see a large, gorilla-like man standing in line after her. "Was that a Rare Candy?" he eyed her. "Rare Candies aren't allowed here, so if that was one, you've got to go."

The girl shook her head. "You're mistaken, sir. It's just a piece of normal candy I bought at the store. See?" She held up another of the same kind, and the man cleared his throat. He gave an eerie, apologetic grin.

"Right. You can never be too careful with those things, though, so make sure no one else sees you." Bianca nodded innocently and turned back around.

She whispered to Elliot, "That man had a Sandslash. Are you sure you're up to this?" The Mareep nodded firmly, and Bianca gave a small smile. They had been training for this.

* * *

The MC was a casual man who didn't worry about being formal in an announcement. Since this was the preliminary Arena of the entire competition, he felt that there was little need to be serious. After all, it wasn't the very-especially-important final Arena, so he could relax.

"Settle down, settle down," The MC growled at the crowd gathered in the Arena, who were screaming their heads off. Once they were quiet (or as quiet as they could be, which was still quite loud), the MC announced to the crowd, "Welcome to the Pewter City Arena, guys. This's this place to go if you want to enter into the Arena competition. If you can't beat this place, you'll never be able to go to the other four Arenas. So pay attention."

The MC coughed. "There's five Arenas across Kanto; the Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion, Celadon, and Fuchsia Arenas. In each Arena, there'll be one-on-one battles. The goal is to _knock the other Pokémon out_. Killing is allowed but not required."

He continued, "No Rare Candies, drugs, Potions, berries, Ethers, Revives, status-healing sprays, or attribute-enhancing items allowed. Same goes for held items - we'll have none of that here." There were some groans heard in the background, and the MC snapped, "Quiet back there! You guys know the rules, so stop whining.

"Your Pokémon will win by their own powers and abilities," the MC continued gravely. "You can only give them commands - you can't help them with items at all. Clear?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, and the MC nodded, satisfied. "Very well. On with the Arena."

* * *

Lists of who was battling who and where were set up all around the inside of the Arena, a huge enclosed space that looked a lot like a circus from the outside. Bianca managed to get her own list from a clerk, and she glanced at it as she tried to find where she was to be battling.

"A bunch of battles will be going on simultaneously," she quietly told Elliot. "Our first battle is" She ran a finger down the list, stopping it at her name. "'Bianca Contra and Mareep - Area 21.' Guess that's where we're going." 

The MC's voice shouted over the loud talking like overpowering background music. "The Arena has set up areas around the building. Depending on the amount of challengers, there'll be a certain number of rounds, but for this Arena there's only three rounds. You'll be assigned to one opponent per round; if you manage not to get beaten by the time the last round ends, you win and can go on to the next Arena. If you don't get to your area by the time the round starts or if you lose a battle, you're automatically eliminated. Now get to your posts and start battling!"

Bianca had just found Area 21. It was roughly sketched with blue chalk, with a wide rectangle showing the boundaries. A few onlookers had gathered around this area, though most were drawn to Area 16. 

"Wonder what's over there?" Bianca thought aloud. "There's a huge crowd"

"That's only one of the most famous Trainers in the Arena!" 

Bianca whirled around to see the gorilla-man who had accused her earlier. He gave a toothy grin and jerked a large thumb in the direction of Area 16. "That's where Tanere Nouvo is battling. She used to be a Champion of the Pokemon League, you know, at sixteen years old."

The large Trainer sighed, shaking his head. "She was also the last Champion. Just a little while after Nouvo became the Champ, the Taboo started. She was kicked off the position, and that's the last most people heard of her. But here she is, at the Arena!" He shook his head, grinning. "They say Nouvo's the one who started the Arena, but who knows?"

Bianca glanced over at Area 16 suspiciously. Why would the person who started the Arena be here at it's first stage to compete?

She was about to voice her questions to Elliot when the MC interrupted loudly, shouting, "Time's up! Start the Arena, folks!"

The daunting Trainer glanced at Bianca and grinned slyly. "I'm your opponent today. Be warned with that Mareep of yours - I've got a Sandslash to wipe you out!"

Bianca replied with a smile of her own. "Thank you for the warning. I think we'll be just fine."

Thus, the battle began. The gorilla-man sent out his Sandslash. Elliot gulped as he jumped onto the field, and glanced back at Bianca nervously. She offered a reassuring smile, which spoke two words: Trust me.

Sandslash almost immediately dug into the ground, and Elliot paused. He and Bianca had trained for this - he knew what to do. 

Bianca waited. Her adversary, she could tell, would mainly use brute force in this battle. The Dig attack was just to try and throw her off thinking that he would use sly attacks so Bianca would want to be more fast than defensive. 

Also, the gorilla-man was an impulse fighter - he didn't think things through too far and did what came to mind. Dig was a pre-planned attack, but from then on out he would attack on instinct and use quick and powerful moves. 

Suddenly Bianca shouted, "Now, Elliot! Discharge!" Elliot send a blast of energy to a spot on the ground right when Sandslash popped out of that very same location.

The huge man laughed as Sandslash brushed away the electricity with its claws. "You know that Electric moves have no effect on Ground-types like me Sandslash!" he cackled heartily.

Bianca nodded. Everything was going as planned. "Exactly."

Sandslash, who had used his claws to keep away the electricity, was kicking up a lot of sand and dirt in the process. The gorilla-man coughed and growled, "Wha-What is this?"

"Your Sandslash, in deflecting Discharge, clouded the air with dirt," Bianca said through the sandy air. "It's a perfect cover for Elliot's attacks, don't you think?"

Suddenly a multi-coloured ray blasted at Sandslash from behind, sending it sprawling into the dust. Another shot fired from in front of him, hitting him in the chest and pounding him back farther. "S-Sandslash!" The giant Trainer cried, trying to think up a quick strategy. "Sand Tomb! Quickly!"

The dirt started whirling around the Sandslash, and Bianca gave a smile. "Using Sand Tomb to protect your Sandslash from attacks? It's not going to work, really."

A ray of light shot out and broke through the Sand Tomb barrier, nailing Sandslash in the head. When the dust cleared, all that was left was the knocked-out Sandslash and the proud Elliot.

The gorilla-man gaped. "But But Sandslash It was Ground-type It should've won!"

Elliot jumped into Bianca's arms as she shrugged. "But it didn't."

The large man looked up at Bianca, his eyes wide with awe. "This was... this was your first battle, wasn't it? And you're only a kid... how did you manage to beat me?"

Bianca shrugged. "I've got the blood of a Champion in me," she told him airily, and walked past him to report on the outcome of the battle to the staff. "Excuse me. I've got bigger fish to fry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear lord there are probably sooo many mistakes in this, but at this point I just want to get something uploaded. ;_; This's my first submission here on Ao3, although I originally started Taboo back in April 2011, so I already have a couple of chapters up. Somewhere along the line I'm going to redo all of these, but for now I'll just try to get all the current chapters up at a good pace before I fix 'em.  
> So, um, yeah! Taboo's basically about this kid named Bianca who thinks she's all that, and can ~save the world~ or something awesome like that. It's gonna be a pretty sweet story, so stick around! uwu~
> 
> (also all these tags dear lord)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bianca gains a new friend on her epic quest, and sustains a couple bruises along the way. (also has some moderate violence I guess)

Bianca pushed open the door, nearly dragging herself out of the building where the Cerulean City Arena was held. Her eyelids were drooping from exhaustion, and her shoulders were slumped.

This Arena had lasted nearly twelve hours, filled with nonstop battles and hardly any time to rest in between; other Arenas could last half as long or more, depending on the number of challengers. Bianca was surprised she was able to tough it out through the Pewter City Arena (which had taken place a week ago) let alone win it and move on to the next Arena in Cerulean and win _that_ , too.

A yawn escaped her lips as she walked down the busy sidewalk, interrupting her thoughts; she was only half awake and longed to go back to her hotel, but her stomach was growling loudly. She needed food.

The first order of business was to go to the bank. Bianca's wallet only held a few dollars, hardly enough for a nice meal at a restaurant (although she doubted any of them would be open this late), but she knew of a bank in town that was close to the Arena. Hopefully it would be open; Bianca had forgotten earlier to check if it had 24-hour service.

As luck would have it, the bank was closed. _Why?_ she moaned, _I won both Pewter's Arena and Cerulean's Arena. Why must my luck run out_ now _?_

"Well, there's not much I can do about that," Bianca grumbled as she stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked back down the sidewalk, her long black hair flowing behind her. "Guess I'll just pick something up at the store..."

Bianca glanced up. Tall buildings were silhouetted against the bright moon, and stars grazed the night sky, contrary to other cities. Kanto had always been a rather Eco-friendly region, compared to Sinnoh and Unova; their skies were hardly ever blocked by pollution from cars, mainly because no one really drove cars. Most people had bikes, especially teenagers -- even Bianca had her own bike, stationed safely in her hotel's garage.

The thought of her bike made her groan. _There isn't anything I wouldn't give to have my bike right now_ , she grumbled to herself as she trudged down the street.

She paused, then added silently, _With the exception of beating the Arena, of course._

* * *

Despite her fatigue, Bianca almost ran to the first open store she spotted. In her rush to get inside, Bianca pushed and pushed on the front door until she realized the door had to be pulled open, but was too tired to be embarrassed by her stupidity. 

The store was one of those small-time shops that wasn't part of some regional chain of supermarkets. It had necessities, like assorted packaged foods, and things like beauty products, cards to be sent in the mail or for special occasions, random knick-knacks (mostly for kids), etc. It was like a small CVS.

Bianca glanced around the store, looking for the food aisle. She found it and dashed to it, scanning the shelves for something she could afford and would fill her up. Her eyes settled on a pre-packaged lunch.

 _Kind of small_ , she thought as she looked the box over. It was for kids, really, the kind that mothers sent with their children to school, and Bianca was seventeen years old -- she was _not_ a kid. But it was all she could afford.

Bianca carried the box to the cashier, a young man who looked about her age. She couldn't help but notice the way his long, vibrant red hair and cheerful blue eyes contrasted his pale complexion. _This guy needs to get out more_ , Bianca thought silently as the cashier took the box, _He's skinny enough -- almost_ too _skinny -- but his skin's_ way _too pale_.

The cashier, too, looked over his newest customer. Bianca had long black hair that reached down to just below her upper chest -- it was long, yes, but he'd seen longer -- and her bangs were parted on her right side, topped with a black headband with a yellow rose where the part was. Shrewd gray eyes were set into an unblemished face, a face that used little to no make-up. All in all, she was more 'cute' than 'beautiful', in the cashier's experienced opinion.

Pulling his eyes away from Bianca, he glanced at the box. "Aren't you a little old for this stuff?" he teased as she pulled out her wallet. "Or is it for someone else?"

Bianca shrugged. "The bank closed before I could get enough money for something. It's all I can afford."

"Your total's 5.39, by the way. And what about fast food? It's always pretty cheap, and they normally have 24-hour service," the casual cashier pointed out. 

Bianca grimaced. "I hate fast food. It's disgusting and fattening."

The redhead chuckled as Bianca handed him the money. "Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Want this in a bag?" 

"Nah. I'll just be taking this back to my hotel and digging into it - the bag would be a waste." The cashier nodded and handed her the box, along with the receipt.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Have a good day- er, night."

"You too," Bianca replied as she turned to leave.

* * *

As she was walking toward the door, she promptly knocked into a rather weak table holding a pyramid of stacked cans. The table wobbled slightly, and suddenly the legs gave way and the entire pyramid crashed to the ground with a torrent of soup containers. Bianca jumped back as the tile floor was swamped with rolling cans, clanking as the hit each other and the floor. Bianca winced as some of the aluminum hit the floor and shattered, leaving bits of metal and uncooked, chunky soup splattered all over the store.

"I am _so_ sorry," Bianca stuttered, mortified at what she had done. "I didn't mean to, I mean, the table was just there, and I wasn't looking where I was going, and I just accidentally hit it, and..." She trailed off as the cashier came up next to her and sighed.

"It's alright, I guess," he grumbled. "It was bound to come down one of these days, especially with that wobbly table there..." He crouched down to pick up a dented can. "But who's going to pay for the damaged and smashed cans?" His eyes glanced up at Bianca, and she hung her head. 

"I'd pay for them, but..." She took out her wallet and opened it up; only a few dollars were left inside. "I've only got a couple bucks and no credit cards. It wouldn't be enough to pay for all of this, and besides, the bank doesn't open up until morning, so I can't get any money until tomorrow."

The redhead stood, rubbing the back of his neck wearily. "Well, I for one don't know what to do. I don't know if I can trust you to come back in the morn' with the money." He glanced at Bianca and caught the look on her face. He said quickly, "I mean, I'm sure you're a good person and all, but how am I to know? I don't even know you."

He sighed, glancing back over the mess of cans. He scratched his chin, pausing.

The cashier looked at Bianca for a moment, his blue eyes sizing her up. "...You're a tourist, right?"

Bianca nodded hesitantly. She had prepared a lie in case anyone asked -- she couldn't go around saying she was in the Arena. She would be arrested for sure. "Yeah. I... I'm traveling around Kanto, visiting the old Gyms that were in use before the Taboo. They turned them into museums, and I'm planning to stop by each town and check them out."

"And you're alone?"

"...Yes. Why?"

The redhead bit his lip. "...I have to ask you a favor, then. You look like a trustworthy person -- as trustworthy as someone I just met would be."

Bianca looked at him oddly. "A favor?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I... well..." The cashier cleared his throat. "Since you're, um, traveling around and all, could I, uh... Could I come with you?"

She stared. "...What?"

The redhead blushed. "At least as far as Fuchsia. I know, it's a weird favor, and you don't even know me, but just think it over. My mom..." He looked away. "I was saving up for enough money to move my mom out of her cramped apartment in Fuchsia, but I don't have a car, and it's dangerous to go alone in Kanto, with the old biker gangs and rumors of ex-Trainers running around." At this Bianca flinched.

"L-Like you said, we don't know each other," she told him quickly, worried what he would do if he found out she was a Trainer. "Don't you have any friends in town you could go with, or something?"

The cashier shook his head and looked into her eyes pleadingly. "I've only been here for a little while, not long enough to get companions. Please. If you do this you won't have to pay for the cans or clean them up or anything -- I'll do it myself. Please."

Bianca bit her lip. Half of her mind, the logical side, screamed, _No, don't do it! You don't even know him! He could be some pervert or stalker or be trying to steal from you or something!_ but the other half, the part that normally got it's way, thought, _The poor guy needs some help, and I wouldn't mind company. He seems like a good person, anyways, and I've got Elliot, so he wouldn't have the chance to be pervy or steal anything from me._

"Look, can I have a night to think it over?" she asked. Bianca paused, then smiled ruefully. "...That is, if you can trust me to come back in the morning."

The redhead nodded and grinned. "It all comes down to trust, doesn't it? Sure. Make sure to bring the money for the cans if you...if you decide not to bring me along."

Bianca smiled reassuringly, turning towards the door. "I'll bring it if it comes to that. See you tomorrow?"

"Yup. See ya."

Bianca was almost out the door when the cashier suddenly yelled, "Wait!"

She turned, and the redhead rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm Cameron Moor. You?"

"Bianca Contra."

"See you tomorrow, then, Bianca," Cameron said with a grin.

She gave a quick smile back at Cameron and pushed open the door. In the back of her mind, a logical voice sighed. 

_You have no idea what you're getting into_ , it said disapprovingly.  
Bianca replied, _Nope, not at all_.

* * *

A cold nighttime breeze met her outside as she turned and walked down the sidewalk, making her way back to her hotel. A few blocks down, near an alley, Bianca stopped. _What am I doing?_ she asked herself, _I just agreed to think about taking some stranger with me. Why would I ever do that?!_

Bianca leaned against the brick wall behind her, gazing up at the sky as a sigh escaped her lips. She rubbed her temples wearily. _I can't take anyone with me_ , she thought with a soft groan. _It's too dangerous, too risky. I hardly even know this g--_

A hand suddenly shot out of the alley beside her, covering Bianca's mouth as it pulled her into the dark, vacant alley. She tried to scream, but the hand had too strong a grip on her face. She could hardly breath, in any case, let alone shriek for help.

As her attacker whipped her around and put her against the wall, her back to the man, she caught a glimpse of his face. He looked about in his thirties, with an odd, curly mustache. That was all she saw before he shoved her roughly against the wall.

 _What does he want?_ Bianca thought, trying to breathe. He mouth and nose were smashed against the hard brick wall, making her breath come in short gasps. _I don't have much money, there's nothing of real value on me..._

Her eyes widened, and she struggled as the man tried to search her. She'd heard of older Arena battlers hiring thugs to take out other Trainers who looked like they have a chance at winning, the Trainers that might just wipe them out and kill their Pokemon, but she hadn't thought that anyone would sent someone after _her_. Was this one of those people? 

She remembered that Elliot was in her bag, locked into a Pokéball that was concealed as a normal metal ball, but she couldn't reach it in her current position. _Drat!_ she thought, frustrated that she couldn't take out her Pokemon to defend herself. _I'll just have to escape myself, then._

Bianca thrashed against the man's hold on her, trying to escape. He growled and bashed her head on the brick wall. She heard something crack, and her nose went almost completely numb. As her attacker reached for her back pants pockets, she kicked back with her legs and hit him hard in the thighs. He groaned in pain and grabbed the back of her head, banging it repeatedly against the wall in anger. "Stupid girl!" she heard him mutter. His voice had an odd accent, one that she couldn't place.

Just when Bianca was starting to get painfully dizzy, she heard a familiar voice from the entrance of the alley. "Hey, Bianca. I just left to go home, and I saw you turn down this street, so I thought I could..." Cameron appeared at the mouth of the alley, his eager eyes becoming lit with alarm as he saw the bloody face of Bianca and the shadowy face of her attacker, who had stopped bashing Bianca's head to look at the newcomer. 

Cameron's blue eyes widened. "What in the-" he began, but he was cut off by the strange man as he pushed Bianca to the ground and lunged for Cameron. Bianca hit the ground, gasping for air as she looked up to see the redhead dodge the man and dash out of the alley. _What's he doing?_ Bianca thought, staring after him in disbelief. _Is he running away?_

The man chased after him, and all was silent. Time seemed to stretch; seconds into minutes, minutes into hours. She groaned, touching her battered nose softly. She couldn't feel it at all - it felt like she didn't have a nose. In addition, her forehead was throbbing with immense pain, as if it had been slammed into a brick wall (which it had).

Bianca closed her eyes involuntarily, beaten by fatigue and pain. Her last thought before she slipped into unconsciousness was, _I spent five bucks on that dinner, and I didn't even get to eat it._

* * *

She opened her eyes to see Cameron towering over her, his eyes wide. He was kneeling beside her, whispering, "Oh, Arceus, man, you're alive, I thought you'd never wake up. Are you okay? I mean, you're all hurt everywhere, but please, oh Arceus, _please_ say you're alright." His voice was strained and worried, and Bianca could see sweat on his skin, glinting in the moonlight. "Your face, oh man, it's all bloody, especially that forehead of yours, and I don't even want to _think_ about what that jerk did to your nose..."

 _My nose?_ "I have a nose?" Bianca asked, her voice parched and raspy. 

Cameron stared. "Of course you have a nose. And what happened to your voice? It's like Gollum or something."

Cameron coughed. "Never mind that. Are you alright? I'm so sorry I left, you must've thought I deserted you, and I probably did for a second, but then I had this idea, right? Like, since the guy lunged at me, I could run away, and then the guy might chase after me and leave you, yeah? So then, I run around a bit, and I lose him, so I came back here to come get you. You're okay, right? Right?"

"Right," Bianca wheezed, trying to sit up. "I think - I think it looks worse than it is." She paused, then added, "... _My precious_."

Cameron helped her up. "You've read that book?" he asked eagerly as she stood, wobbly. 

"Yeah, sort of. When I was, uh, fourteen, maybe?"

"You should read them again. I mean, those are really good books," Cameron babbled as he helped her get back on the sidewalk. "Let's go to the hospital, yeah? But, anyways, do you like fantasy books? No, don't answer that, your voice is too Gollum-y as it is. I love fantasy books. Mainly stuff about Arthur and Charlemagne and all those Middle Ages knights and heroes, you know? I've got tons of books on that kind of stuff. And the Lord of the Rings is amazing, definitely. I like the Hobbit more than the other ones, I don't know why. Have you read all the Lord of the Rings books? Actually, you shouldn't respond to any of this stuff. Save your voice. Anyways..."

Bianca silently endured all of Cameron's rambling about the Middle Ages, the Lord of the Rings, and other medieval fantasy books, until the two reached Cerulean's hospital. Cameron stood proudly in front of the building as if it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. 

"Here it is - the hospital, pride and joy of Cerulean!" he announced, then added, "Besides the Cerulean Cape, Nugget Bridge, the Cerulean City Gym Museum, and the only Bike Shop in Kanto to this day. But it's still the best!"

Cameron coughed. "Now let's get you inside so we can get that nosie of yours all fixed up!" He tweaked Bianca's nose playfully until he remembered that it was broken when Bianca let out a groan of immense pain. "Sorry," he winced.

Bianca bit her lip to stop from crying out. "It's... It's alright," she assured him through clenched teeth. She limped towards the hospital, stopped and turned to glance at Cameron. 

"Oh, yeah, and you can come with me," she informed him, trying her best to keep her diminishing voice steady. "To Fuchsia, I mean." She paused, and a smile appeared on her face. "You saved my life, after all," she added, "and it'd be... _unladylike_ to say no after all that." With that she walked into the hospital, leaving Cameron to gape after her outside the building.

He stared at her for a couple minutes, drawing glances from people passing by ("What's that guy doing, staring at the hospital?" "He's probably one of those guys who like the cute female doctors. LOL!" "OMG, that's so funny! LOL!"), then grinned. Cameron ran inside after Bianca, nearly skipping. 

"I'm going to Fuchsia~" he hummed as he pushed open the glass doors. "I'm coming, Mum! Wait for me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cameron is introduced! In addition to another mystery character. Will he ever be properly elaborated on??? Tune in next time to find out!!! (spoilers: probably not)


	3. Chapter 3

"What a beautiful day!" Cameron announced as he looked around the forest clearing. "Yes, a fine day to be traveling to Vermillion! A fine day indeed." He nodded, satisfied.

Bianca finished setting her bike up against a sturdy tree and walked up beside him, scanning the area. They had left Cerulean just a day after the fight with the mysterious stranger; Bianca was forced by the hospital staff to stay there until at least the next day -- bandages now covered her nose and damaged forehead -- and Cameron still had to quit his job ("I mean, if I'm going to Fuchsia to live with my mom, I'm probably not going to keep my job at Cerulean, yeah?"). 

Since Cameron and Bianca owned bikes instead of cars, they traveled along the old forest paths that were in use before cars became a more popular way of transportation. Cameron didn't care whether they biked the forest road or the asphalt road, but Bianca, having traveled around on a bike for much of her life, firmly dictated that they used the forest path. "The stupid car drivers always get mad at us bikers for going slow," Bianca had grumbled in explanation. "They sometimes get so aggravated that they call the cops, and we don't want _that_ happening." This was especially true for Bianca; since she was considered a criminal because she was a Trainer, getting arrested would mean the end of the line for her if the police found out. 

A yell snapped Bianca out of her thoughts. She looked over at Cameron to see Elliot (her Mareep) merrily chewing on the redhead's hair while Cameron writhed on the ground, frantically trying to pull him off.

"Biancaaaa!" he called through clenched teeth. "Get your little fur ball off of my beautiful hair!"

Bianca somehow managed to stifle her giggles as she helped get Elliot off of Cameron. Once the Pokemon was off, the redhead sat cross-legged on the ground and stroked his vibrant hair, parts of it roughly chewed off, as he glared at Elliot, still munching on a lock of hair. 

"I'll get my revenge, you little devil!" Cameron growled, shaking his fist at Bianca's Pokemon. "I will avenge my beautiful red locks, if it's the last thing I do!"

"Elliot was just teasing," Bianca chided her friend as she sat down beside Cameron.

"That beast was not teasing, he was eating my hair!" Cameron grumbled. "My hair doesn't taste _that_ good... Especially since I haven't bathed in a couple days," he added mischievously.

Elliot almost immediately spit out the hair he was eating, disgusted by the fact that he was chewing dirty, unwashed hair. Bianca gagged as Cameron snickered.

"I'm just kidding," he winked. "I take a shower every day, especially when I'm with a lady." Bianca blushed as he went on in a lordly tone, "For how is a chivalrous knight such as I to win the hand of a fair maiden if my scent is riddled with the smell of dung? Alas, a good knight would be a disgrace to his lord, the king, and his kingdom; and such a disgrace must cast himself out to become a hermit in the wilderness forever more..."

Cameron glanced over at Bianca to see her half asleep at his long speech. He tweaked her bandaged nose, causing her to yelp in pain and, consequently, wake up.

"Don't fall asleep when I talk! It's rude!" he reprimanded her, but she shrugged. 

"Sorry. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, since I was out pretty late." 

"Why _were_ you out so late?" Cameron asked, propping his chin on his hand.

Bianca's mind went blank. She hadn't thought of a lie for that -- she couldn't tell him that she had been in the Arena, after all. "Umm..."

"Did you go to the Nugget Bridge or something? I heard you can see beautiful sunsets from there, although I always got out of work late so I never got to see one," Cameron sighed.

"Um, yeah," Bianca nodded quickly. "The walk back into town took a long time, so all the restaurants were closed and I had to go to your shop."

"Thank Arceus you did," Cameron chuckled. "If you hadn't, I'd have been all alone in Cerulean, with no one to go home with."

He stood, stretching. "Well, I don't prefer sitting on grass when we have a blanket. I'm gonna go pull it out and get our lunches, yeah?"

With that the redhead pulled out the red-and-white checkered blanket, and Bianca exhaled in relief. She'd been able to think of a lie for Cameron's question, but what about the next time? 

_With any luck, there won't be a next time_ , Bianca told herself firmly. _I'll just have to avoid topics that might lead someone to ask about dangerous stuff like that, that's all. No one will get suspicious of me_.

But in the back of her mind, she wasn't so sure.

* * *

Bianca, sitting cross-legged on the checkered blanket, and Elliot, who sat on her lap, waited for Cameron to unpack his lunch.

"Sheesh, how long does it take to pull food out of your bag?" Bianca asked as Cameron struggled with his blue backpack.

"The zipper's stuck and I can't get it open," he growled in reply, grunting as he heaved on the metal zipper.

"Here, let me try." Bianca took the bag from Cameron and yanked on the zipper. The redhead's jaw dropped as it opened with ease.

"H-How did you do that?" he gasped as he retrieved the pack.

Bianca shrugged as she bit into her sandwich: one made of ham and fresh lettuce. "I just opened it. Maybe your hands were sweaty and it made the zipper slippery?"

"Or maybe I loosened it up for you," he replied and pulled out his lunch, consisting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, carrots, and a water bottle.

Cameron caught Bianca eyeing his lunch. "I'm a vegetarian," he explained. "No meat for me, and I hate junk food."

"Ah." Bianca was used to vegetarians -- her grandfather was one, after all -- and she had grown up eating vegetarian meals. She was almost completely vegetarian herself, were it not for Bianca being unable to find anything to put on a lunch sandwich except for deli meats.

"Does it surprise you?"

"Not really. Different strokes for different folks, right? Grandpapa was a vegetarian, too, and I lived with him for most of my life, so it kind of rubbed off on me."

Cameron nodded thoughtfully. "What about Elliot? He seems like a bit of a cannibal," he said dryly as the Mareep softly chewed on the redhead's finger.

"He eats everything and anything," Bianca sighed. "He nearly ate off my hand when I first got him, when I was little."

"He's been with you since you were a kid? Wow, that's some commitment," Cameron replied, surprised.

"Commitment?"

"Yeah. I mean, taking care of a pet for ten or so years is a long time, don't you think? Especially when he eats everything in sight."

"True," Bianca chuckled. "It's been fun, though."

"I wonder..." Cameron murmured thoughtfully, and became unusually quiet. They ate their lunch in silence from there, lost in their own thoughts.

"Well, shall we get going?" the redhead asked after a while, both their lunches eaten. "If we leave now, we should be able to reach Vermillion by-"

A sudden, wild roar interrupted him, shocking the entire forest into an eerie silence. Bianca glanced worriedly at Cameron. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but it sounded like-" A high-pitched scream filled with distress and fear broke through the quiet, and a flock of birds scattered from their trees. 

"-an angry Pokémon," Cameron finished with a gulp.

"It came from over there," Bianca noted, pointing into the woods. "Let's go check it out." 

"Hope we make it in time," the redhead murmured. "From the sounds of things, that Pokémon's on a rampage, and whoever just screamed may not last long."

* * *

While Cameron traversed the uneven forest terrain with ease, Bianca barely managed to keep up without tripping constantly.

"How are you doing that?!" she asked her friend as he slid down a fallen tree trunk like it was a slide at a playground.

"Doing what? And yes, you're going to have to walk over this trunk," he added as Bianca glanced uncertainly at the thick tree. "It's the only way to cross the stream underneath without getting wet."

"Alright," she grumbled, taking a tentative step onto the trunk. "And you keep running around this place like a kid in a candy shop. How do you do it without falling over all the time?"

Cameron shrugged in response, holding out a hand to help Bianca down the trunk. "I grew up near a forest, pretty much. My hometown was pretty sheltered from modern society -- you know, no running water, no electricity." 

"...Wow," Bianca blinked, surprised, and took the redhead's warm hand as she inched down the trunk. "Must've been hard."

"Not really, seeing as that's how I grew up. Hey, watch your step-" Bianca suddenly slipped on moss on the edge of the trunk and fell forward and onto Cameron. The two collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Bianca looked up to see her face mere inches from Cameron's, her body pressing him to the ground. She blushed deeply, her heart thudding in her chest and her eyes growing wide. "S-Sorry," she stuttered hurriedly as she got back up and off of Cameron, whose face was as red as his hair, and clumsily fell back onto the ground.

Cameron composed himself much faster than Bianca ever could have, the redness fading from his face, and he held out a hand to her to help her up. "A-Are you okay?"

She gulped, trying to slow down her heartrate down. "Yeah, I'm fin-" A woman's shriek interrupted her, a roar of a wild Pokemon following soon after. Cameron helped Bianca up and said, "They're getting closer now. C'mon."

She nodded, mentally kicking herself. _That was so embarrassing!_ she moaned inwardly. _Why am I always such a klutz?_

Cameron darted into a clump of ferns and beckoned Bianca to do the same. She slid up next to him and shot him a questioning glance. Cameron put a finger to his mouth -- a signal to be quiet -- and pointed to a forest clearing only a few yards away.

A young woman was backed up against a tree, her blue eyes wide and fearful. In front of her stood a wild Ursaring, the huge bear-like Pokémon. Old scars covered it's arms. Bianca winced as the Ursaring roared again and attacked the woman, who screamed and dodged, barely avoiding the Pokémon's deadly claws.

"Bianca." She glanced at Cameron to see his blue eyes bright and alert. "We have to help that lady, and the Ursaring, too. Elliot knows some moves, right? Can we get him to help?"

Bianca panicked mentally. _Wouldn't that mean battling the Ursaring? What if he guesses I'm a Trainer?_

"Wouldn't that be... battling?" she voiced, trying to keep her face calm.

Cameron sighed. "...Yes, it would be. But we have to save the woman, and I don't think we'd stand much of a chance if we tried to restrain the Ursaring. I'm sure Elliot would be alright with it; it wouldn't be like we're forcing him or anything." He paused. "...Hey, where _is_ Elliot?" 

Bianca's eyes widened. She'd completely forgotten about her Mareep when they had left the road to go search for the distressed woman. 

"Elliot!" she whispered urgently into the forest behind her. " _Elliot!_ Where are you?!"

"I found him," Cameron said dryly. Bianca turned to see her Pokemon chewing Cameron's finger like he had been there the entire time.

She glared at him. "Don't you _ever_ run off like that again!" Bianca reprimanded him sternly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I actually pity you," Cameron informed Elliot. "Bianca's more like your mom than your owner."

Bianca's strict eyes landed on the redhead, and he gulped. "I was kidding!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, then turned back to Elliot. "If you ever disappear like that, you're not getting any snacks for a month."

Cameron coughed. "Pokemon-cough-abuse-cough-cough."

" _I heard that._ "

"What? I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, right," Bianca rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Now, we were going to save the woman over there...?"

"Oh, yeah!" Cameron glanced over to the clearing. The woman was running toward them, the Ursaring close behind.

"Shoot!" he whispered urgently. "Bianca, you-"

But the black-haired young woman had already shot out of the bush. The running woman faltered in surprise, almost tripping over a root, but regained her balance and dashed past Bianca, glancing worriedly between her and the enraged Ursaring.

Bianca pointed at the Pokémon, a fierce, determined light in her eyes. "Elliot! Discharge!" She called clearly, and the Mareep squeezed it's eyes shut in concentration as a burst of electric power exploded from the small Pokémon and hit the Ursaring, slamming it back into a tree and sending dust into the air.

The lightning evaporated almost as soon as it had appeared. Bianca breathed a sigh of relief, brushed her bangs out of her eyes as the dust cleared to reveal the Ursaring completely knocked out. 

Bianca plucked Elliot of the ground, stroking him soothingly, as a voice cut through the silence. 

"Who... Who are you...?" The woman's deep, elegant voice, shaken with fear, made the rebel Trainer turn. Cameron had stood up out of the bush, his eyes wide in silent astonishment at the power little Elliot had demonstrated, and Bianca could finally appraise the woman without wondering how to take out the Ursaring.

She was young, maybe in her late twenties, with curly blond hair, strawberry-blond streaks throughout. Her eyes were wide and bright blue, her nose naturally turned up and her chin pointed. She had a rather elegant aura of prestige and importance, mirrored by a thin accent that told she was brought up surrounded by wealth.

"I'm Bianca Contra, and this is Cameron Moor," Bianca told the lady, who glanced at Cameron. Their eyes flickered in mysterious recognition as they met, but the moment passed as soon as it had come, and the woman turned back to Bianca.

"I see," she said slowly. "I am... Vivian. Vivian Shay." She paused, looking towards the unconscious Ursaring. "I was traveling in the forest when that... that Pokémon attacked me." A note of shaken worry crept into her voice.

"It chased me into the forest, and I was cornered, until... Until you came." She looked up at Bianca. "Thank you for saving me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come..."

"It was nothing," Bianca assured her. "We overheard screams from the path, and just thought we'd investigate. I'm glad you weren't injured."

"W-Would you like us to lead you back to the road?" Cameron asked. His voice was the slightest bit nervous. "I'm sure with all the ruckus the Ursaring caused you've become a bit disoriented."

Vivian gave a small smile. "I thank you for your concern, but..." She pursed her lips. "...I believe I will be able to find the path by myself."

Cameron blinked. "Are you sure?"

The woman nodded. "Quite. I have some... _business_ to attend to. And it would not do to inconvenience you after what you have done for me."

"You wouldn't be inconveniencing us," Bianca protested. "We're going back the same way, anyways..."

"Bianca," Cameron murmured quietly, glancing at his companion. "Ms. Shay here doesn't want our company. We shouldn't force her to come with us."

"But-"

"It would just be more awkward if we were to persist. She's trying not to downright refuse us -- that'd be rude. C'mon, let's just go."

Bianca sighed and nodded, turning back to Vivian. "I'm sorry for arguing. We'll leave, then. Try not to stay here long, though," she warned, "because that Ursaring is only knocked out. It could awake any minute."

"Thank you. I'm sure I'll be fine," the woman replied curtly. 

"See you, then," Cameron said, giving a quick smile as he abruptly turned and left the clearing. Bianca followed hastily behind him.

"Why are you in such a rush?" She asked him when she caught up.

Cameron started. "What? I'm not in a rush."

"Then why did you leave so suddenly?"

"I didn't leave suddenly," he replied quickly.

"Yeah, sure," Bianca rolled her eyes mockingly, a faint hint of a smile creasing her lips.

 _Why does he seem so... anxious?_ She thought. _He started acting uneasy when I insisted that Vivian should come with us..._

Bianca paused, her stride slowing. _He seemed to be..._ hiding _something when I asked why he was hurrying to leave... I wonder if--_

"C'mon, Bianca, or I'll leave you behind!" Cameron interrupted her teasingly, the note of restlessness gone from his voice. 

She nodded and ran to catch up with him, smiling back at him, but her mind was clouded with questions.

_Does Cameron know Vivian? If he does, why is he keeping it a secret?_

Bianca sighed, rubbing her forehead. Beating the Arena, keeping her identity a secret, stopping the Taboo, wondering what Cameron was hiding from her... it was all too much to worry about. _The sooner I get to Fuchsia, the sooner I don't have to deal with all this stress_ , she grumbled silently.

Elliot, nestled safely in her arms, sighed along with her. They didn't know it yet, but their lives were to become more stressful than either of them had imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ship Bianca and Cameron so hard, man. No regrets.


End file.
